To supervise the festivities linked to New Year's Eve and the transition to 2025, the Yonne prefecture issued several prefectural decrees on Thursday December 19, 2024. They target in particular the sales of alcoholic beverages, the use of fires fireworks or the organization of rave parties:
Sale of drinks
A ban on the sale of take-away alcoholic beverages at fuel sales outlets is in effect until January 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Fuels
The purchase and transport of domestic fuels and combustibles, including flammable gas, in transportable containers in the department, are prohibited until January 2, 2025, at 8 a.m.
Fireworks
The purchase, sale, possession, transport, and use of category F2 and F3 fireworks, not appearing on the list established by decree of December 17, 2021 (firecracker with fuse, battery, battery requiring external support, combination, combination requiring external support, aerial firecracker, flash composition firecracker, rocket, Roman candle, single-shot candle), are prohibited until January 2, 2025, at 8 a.m. public roads or towards public spaces, in all the municipalities of the Yonne department.
Rave-party
The holding of festive gatherings of a musical nature (rave party, free party, teknival) meeting all the characteristics set out in article R 212-2 of the internal security code (in particular by giving rise to the broadcast amplified music with a foreseeable number of participants greater than 500 and likely to present risks to the safety of participants in the absence of arrangements or the configuration of the premises), other than those legally declared or authorized, is prohibited throughout the territory of the Yonne department, from Saturday December 21, 2024, 8 a.m., to Monday January 6, 2025, 8 a.m.
Transportation of sound equipment
The circulation of vehicles transporting equipment (sound system, sound system, amplifiers, etc.) likely to be used for a festive event of a musical nature such as teknival, rave or free-party, is prohibited on the entire road network of the department of Yonne, until January 6, 2025, 8 a.m. Any violation of this order is subject to sanctions and may result in the seizure of the material with a view to its confiscation by the judicial court. It applies to the entire Icaunais road network (national and secondary), and facilitates the confiscation of equipment in the event of interception by the police.
An illegal rave party in Saint-Florentin, in 2021. Three years ago, on Friday December 31, 2021, at least 1,500 people from all over France gathered in Saint-Florentin, for an illegal rave party, in the former premises of the Sicli factory, on the industrial site of Saunière. A large gendarmerie system was then put in place to secure the surroundings of the site and the traffic routes.
It was not until the next morning, January 1, 2022, that the prefecture issued an order prohibiting this type of event. The party continued until Sunday morning. According to the prefecture, “more than 2,000 checks” were carried out during the gathering: “900 cars and 1,200 people for 250 violations noted”. Fourteen speakers, three generators and 10 jerry cans of gasoline were also seized. By 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 2, the site was completely evacuated.
